Tendai Gukutikwa
Health Reporter
THE recent opening of Rimbi Youth Centre in Chipinge has injected new hope into the lives of young people in the area, paving way for enhanced youth development and health services.
The new facility, located at Rimbi Business Centre in Chief Musikavanhu’s area, was hailed for addressing some of the most pressing issues faced by youths in Chipinge District, including teenage pregnancies and child marriages.
In an interview last Friday, Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC)’s Manicaland provincial marketing and communications officer, Mr Daniel Maromo said the centre offers a range of services, including clinical services, library services, health education, life-skills education, and edutainment.
“As Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council, in pursuit of leaving no one and no place behind, and also in making sure that our services are available to young people everywhere, we recently opened Rimbi Youth Centre at Rimbi Business Centre in Chipinge. The decision to establish the youth centre in Chipinge was influenced by the alarming rates of teenage pregnancies and child marriages in the district.
“Chipinge has been having high teenage pregnancy rates and issues of child marriages challenges. We realised that it was prudent for us to have a youth centre there. Rimbi Youth Centre is designed to be a safe space where young people can access essential health services and information. The centre also aims to tackle social issues, providing youths with counselling services, and promoting advocacy efforts aimed at improving their overall wellbeing,” he said.
Mr Maromo said the centre has a social scientist, a youth health advisor, and a youth facilitator who collectively offer a wide range of support, from clinical services to educational and recreational activities.
“The youth health advisor is in charge of all clinical services to the young people, and the youth facilitator is responsible for the social side issues that include counselling, ease of advocacy, marketing the services to the young people, and community mobilising,” he said.
He added that all services provided at the youth centre are free for individuals below the age of 24.
Mr Maromo said the youth centre is helping in addressing some of the issues emanating from Chipinge District.
“We are urging our young people in these youth centres to focus on their education first, then career, love and eventually marriage. That is the message that we are giving to the young people in our youth centres. The youth centre is there to offer clinical services, library services, health education, life-skills education and edutainment, because we realised that youths need to be entertained as we educate them,” he said.
He said the clinical services being offered at the youth centre are reproductive health related, as they opened the centre as part of their broader strategy to provide access to critical health and social services for youths.
Mr Maromo said ZNFPC acknowledges that addressing youth-related challenges, such as teenage pregnancies and early marriages, requires a collective effort.
“We cannot win this war on our own in terms of addressing the challenges that are being faced by our young people. So, we are bringing our ideas and resources together with various partners. These partnerships help in developing and implementing strategies that encourage youths to delay sexual activities until they have completed their educational goals,” he said.
As a result, the council in collaboration with its partner, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) are constructing a new youth centre in Marange area of Mutare District.
“The Rimbi Youth Centre is one of five operational centres in the province, with another one under construction in Marange, in partnership with AHF. AHF has been instrumental in supporting us with resources, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration,” he said.
Others centres include Nyanyadzi (Chimanimani), Mutare Urban, Nyazura and Chiendambuya (Makoni).
According to Mr Maromo, ZNFPC is planning to expand these services to Mutasa, Nyanga and Buhera districts.
“With our message to young people which is very clear that education comes first, followed by career, love, and marriage, we have plans to cascade to Mutasa, Nyanga, and Buhera districts, if funds permit. We also have plans to open another centre at Bika High School in Buhera soon,” he said, noting that groundwork for the Buhera project has already been laid.
In addition to building more centres, ZNFPC is working to ensure that health service providers across the province are trained to offer youth-friendly services.
“Almost every health centre in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care has youth-friendly trained nurses who are there to offer services to the young people in those areas,” said Mr Maromo.
